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ARS Home » Plains Area » College Station, Texas » Southern Plains Agricultural Research Center » Food and Feed Safety Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #319207
Title: Susceptibility of Alphitobius diaperinus in Texas to permethrin- and beta-cyfluthrin-treated surfaces

Author
item LYONS, BRANDON - Texas A&M University
item Crippen, Tawni - Tc
item ZHENG, LE - Texas A&M University
item TEEL, PETE - Texas A&M University
item SWIGER, SONJA - Texas A&M Agrilife
item TOMBERLIN, JEFFERY - Texas A&M University

Submitted to: Pest Management Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/30/2016
Publication Date: 3/1/2017
Citation: Lyons, B.N., Crippen, T.L., Zheng, L., Teel, P.D., Swiger, S.L., Tomberlin, J.K. 2017. Susceptibility of Alphitobius diaperinus in Texas to permethrin- and beta-cyfluthrin-treated surfaces. Pest Management Science. 73:562-567.

Interpretive Summary: The Darkling beetle is a pest of great economic importance in the poultry industry. In this study, chemical resistance to commonly used control products were tested in these beetles collected from farms in two regions of Texas. Filter papers were treated with a range of doses of the pure chemical, ß-Cyfluthrin, to test the level of resistance in adult beetles. There was variability in resistance between the farms within the different regions, but ß-Cyfluthrin resistance was well above the recommended commercial dosage at all farms tested. Additionally, resistance of the beetles to formulated ß-Cyfluthrin insecticide, Tempo SC Ultra™ and to formulated permethrin, Vector Ban Plus™ was tested on treated concrete, wood chip-type particleboard, and pressure treated wood at the recommended commercial dosages. After treatment of the surfaces, the beetles from all farms showed high resistance to Vector Ban Plus™ and less resistance to Tempo SC Ultra™. Therefore, Tempo SC Ultra™ was a more effective chemical control method than Vector Ban Plus™ when used on poultry house surfaces.

Technical Abstract: The lesser mealworm is an insect pest of great economic importance in the poultry industry. In this study, insecticide resistance to commonly used control products were tested in adult lesser mealworms collected from three farms in each of two regions, Mt. Pleasant and Franklin, TX, USA. Filter papers, treated with a range of doses of the pyrethroid-based insecticide active ingredient (AI), ß-Cyfluthrin, were used to determine the level of insecticide resistance in adult beetles. In each region, there was a significant difference in resistance levels between the three farms. For the Mt. Pleasant populations, LD50, or lethal dose at which half the population is dead, varied from 0.350 mg/ml (farm B) to 0.119 mg/ml (farm C), while those from Franklin had LD50’s that varied from 0.629 mg/ml (farm E) to 0.048 mg/ml (farm D). All farms tested LD50’s at least over 2 fold higher than the equivalent low dosage (0.02 mg/ml) of the AI B-Cyfluthrin from Tempo SC Ultra™. In addition, adult beetles from each farm were measured for susceptibility to formulated permethrin, Vector Ban Plus™, and pyrethroid, Tempo SC Ultra™, on treated concrete, wood chip-type particleboard, and pressure treated wood at the label rates. This study indicates that the permethrin-based insecticide had lower knockdown ability and persistence over time, as well as greater variability on surfaces than the pyrethroid-based insecticide. The AI, ß-Cyfluthrin, alone had varying effectiveness dependent on the population’s resistance levels; however at all farms tested, the LD50 was well above the equivalent recommended formulation dosage of 0.02 mg/ml. In contrast, the ß-Cyfluthrin formulation in Tempo SC Ultra™ had high knockdown and mortality rates on all the surfaces tested, highlighting the importance of the other ingredients in a formulation.